US Tour 6

Following the closure of the Broadway Revival in December 2017, a new 6th US Tour began in January 2019.

The first national tour of the revival of Cats was licensed by The Really Useful Group and produced by The Shubert Organization, James L. Nederlander, The Really Useful Group and Cameron Mackintosh.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, all performances of the Equity production from the 13th of March 2020 onwards were postponed, then cancelled. The tour re-launched as a non-Equity production on the 21st of September 2021, with the production closing the 18th of June 2023.^[1]

Production Specifics[]

This production was the first tour of the Broadway Revival of Cats. It followed the Revival's blend of new and classic material, with few differences. The most obvious differences were in a slightly reduced cast, and a less elaborate set. Electra and Carbucketty were absent, and young Grizabella appeared in the opening sequence. The production used the NAP 11A "inflatable" set, which required some practical differences to blocking: for example, the car boot did not open, so Jennyanydots was discovered lying on top of the car rather than inside it for the opening of The Old Gumbie Cat.

For the first 18 months the tour was performed under the Equity union standards, with a planned break in the summer of 2020. The tour was then planned to continue from October 2020 with a non-Equity company. The global COVID-19 pandemic caused the Equity union run of the show to close early on the 12th March 2020, and the opening of the non-Equity run was delayed until 21st September 2021. The tour booking for 2021 and 2022 seasons, with many booked performances rescheduled rather than cancelled, closing in June 2023.

Press Announcement[]

Cats, the record-breaking musical spectacular by Andrew Lloyd Webber that has captivated audiences in more than 30 countries and 15 languages, is now on tour across North America! Audiences and critics alike are rediscovering this beloved musical with breathtaking music, including one of the most treasured songs in musical theater—"Memory." Winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Cats tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn. The original score by Lloyd Webber (The Phantom of the Opera, School of Rock, Sunset Boulevard), original scenic and costume design by John Napier (Les Misérables), all-new lighting design by Natasha Katz (Disney's Aladdin), all-new sound design by Mick Potter, new choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton) based on the original choreography by Gillian Lynne (Phantom) and direction by Trevor Nunn (Les Misérables) make this production a new Cats for a new generation!

Today^[2] (October 29th 2018), in celebration of National Cat Day, producers announced casting for the North American tour of the first ever Broadway revival of Cats. The multi-year tour will launch at Providence Performing Arts Center on January 22, 2019 and play 24 cities in its first season.

Creative Team[]

Production Management: Troika Entertainment
Associate Director & Choreographer to Trevor Nunn and Gillian Lynne: Chrissie Cartwright
Associate Choreographer to Andy Blankenbuehler: Kim Craven
Production Musical Supervisor: Kristen Blodgette
Associate Costume Designer to John Napier: Lisa Zinni and Abigail Hahn
Associate Set Designer to John Napier: Kevin Depinet
Associate Lighting Designer to Natasha Katz: Craig Stelzenmuller
Associate Sound Designer to Mick Potter: Adam Fisher

Equity Tour: 2019-2020[]

The equity tour started in Providence, Rhode Island on the 22nd of January 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was cut short, having the final performance on the 12th of March 2020 in Ottawa, Ontario.

Tour Dates[]

2019 Tour Dates
Venue	Location	Dates	Performances
PPAC	Providence, RI	22nd January - 27th January 2019	(8 shows)
Bushnell	Hartford, CT	29th January - 3rd February 2019	(8 shows)
Sheas Performing Arts Center	Buffalo, NY	5th February - 10th February 2019	(8 shows)
San Jose Center for Performing Arts	San Jose, CA	19th February - 24th February 2019	(8 shows)
Pantages Theatre	Los Angeles, CA	26th February - 24th March 2019	(32 shows)
Paramount	Seattle, WA	26th March - 31st March 2019	(8 shows)
Sacramento Community Center Theater	Sacramento, CA	2nd April - 7th April 2019	(8 shows)
Segerstrom Center for the Arts	Costa Mesa, CA	9th April - 14th April 2019	(8 shows)
San Diego Civic Theatre	San Diego, CA	16th April - 21st April 2019	(8 shows)
Buell Theatre	Denver, CO	24th April - 28th April 2019	(8 shows)
Centennial Hall	Tucson, AZ	30th April - 5th May 2019	(8 shows)
Bass Concert Hall	Austin, TX	7th May - 12th May 2019	(8 shows)
Spencer Theater	Alto, NM	14th May - 15th May	(2 shows)
Popejoy Hall	Albuquerque, NM	16th May - 19th May	(6 shows)
Civic Center Music Hall	Oklahoma City, OK	21st May - 26th May 2019	(8 shows)
Walton Arts Center	Fayetteville, AR	28th May - 2nd June 2019	(8 shows)
DPAC	Durham, NC	4th June - 9th June 2019	(8 shows)
Aronoff Center	Cincinnati, OH	11th June - 16th June 2019	(8 shows)
Forrest Theatre	Philadelphia, PA	18th June - 30th June 2019	(16 shows)
Starlight Theatre	Kansas City, MO	9th July - 14th July 2019	(6 shows)
Oriental Theatre	Chicago, IL	16th July - 4th August 2019	(24 shows)
Fox Theatre	Atlanta, GA	6th August - 11th August 2019	(8 shows)
BELK Theater	Charlotte, NC	13th August - 18th August 2019	(8 shows)
Hershey Theatre	Hershey, PA	20th August - 25th August 2019	(8 shows)
Fisher Theatre	Detroit, MI	3rd September – 15th September 2019	(16 shows)
Opera House - Kennedy Center	Washington, DC	17th September – 6th October 2019	(24 shows)
Tulsa Performing Arts Center	Tulsa, OK	9th October - 13th October 2019	(7 shows)
Century II Concert Hall	Wichita, KS	14th October – 16th October 2019	(3 shows)
McAllen PAC	McAllen, TX	18th October - 19th October 2019	(3 shows)
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts	Houston, TX	22nd October – 27th October 2019	(8 shows)
Majestic Theatre	San Antonio, TX	29th October - 3rd November 2019	(8 shows)
Music Hall at Fair Park	Dallas, TX	5th November - 16th November 2019	(16 shows)
Andrew Jackson Hall at TPAC	Nashville, TN	19th November - 24th November 2019	(8 shows)
Princess of Wales Theatre	Toronto, ON	27th November 2019 - 5th January 2020	(48 shows)

2020 Tour Dates
Venue	Location	Dates	Performances
Boston Opera House	Boston, MA	7th January - 19th January 2020	(16 shows)
The Hippodrome Theatre	Baltimore, MD	21st January - 26th January 2020	(8 shows)
Ferguson Center	Newport News, VA	27th January - 29th January 2020	(3 shows)
Tivoli Theater	Chattanooga, TN	31st January - 2nd February 2020	(4 shows)
Altria Theater	Richmond, VA	4th February - 9th February 2020	(8 shows)
River Center for the Performing Arts	Columbus, GA	11th February - 12th February 2020	(2 shows)
Thalia Mara	Jackson, MS	13th February - 14th February 2020	(2 shows)
Saenger Theatre	Pensacola, FL	15th February - 16th February 2020	(3 shows)
Barbara Mann PAC	Fort Myers, FL	18th February - 23rd February 2020	(8 shows)
Benedum Center	Pittsburgh, PA	25th February - 1st March 2020	(8 shows)
Stanley Theater	Utica, NY	3rd March - 4th March 2020	(2 shows)
Shubert Theater	New Haven, CT	5th March - 8th March 2020	(6 shows)
The National Arts Center	Ottawa, ON	10th March - 12th March 2020 (cut short due to COVID-19 pandemic)	(3 shows)

COVID-Affected Tour Dates for 2020 and 2021
Venue	Location	Dates	Performances
The National Arts Center Postponed 13-15 March to March 2022	Ottawa, ON	13th March - 15th March 2020 (New dates: 28th July - 1st August 2020, later postponed)	(5 shows)
Wilson Center Postponed to February 2022	Wilmington, NC	24th March - 26th March 2020 (New dates: 29th June - 1st July 2020, later postponed)	(3 shows)
N. Charleston PAC Postponed to February 2022	North Charleston, SC	27th March - 29th March 2020	(5 shows)
Clowes Memorial Hall Canceled	Indianapolis, IN	31st March - 5th April 2020 (New dates: 21st July - 26th July 2020, later canceled)	(8 shows)
The Fabulous Fox Theatre Postponed to late 2021 to early 2022	St. Louis, MO	7th April - 19th April 2020	(16 shows)
Auditorium Theatre Postponed to September 2021	Rochester, NY	21st April - 26th April 2020 (New dates: 6th October - 11th October 2020, 15th December - 20th December 2020, later postponed)	(8 shows)
Proctor's Theatre Postponed to May 2022	Schenectady, NY	28th April 2020 - 3rd May 2020	(8 shows)
Embassy Theater Cancelled	Fort Wayne, IN	5th May - 6th May 2020	(2 shows)
State Theatre New Jersey Postponed to March 2022	New Brunswick, NJ	8th May - 10th May 2020	(5 shows)
Center for the Arts Cancelled	Midland, MI	12th May - 14th May 2020	(3 shows)
Miller Auditorium Canceled	Kalamazoo, MI	15th May - 17th May 2020	(5 shows)
Schuster PAC Postponed to November 2021	Dayton, OH	26th May - 31st May 2020 (New dates: 14th July - 19th July 2020, later postponed)	(8 shows)
Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts Postponed to May 2022	Springfield, MO	2nd June - 4th June 2020 (New dates: 25th May - 27th May 2021, later postponed)	(3 shows)
Robinson Center Postponed to May 2022	Little Rock, AR	5th June - 7th June 2020 (New dates: 28th May - 30th May 2021, later postponed)	(5 shows)
Connor Palace Theatre Postponed to November 2022	Cleveland, OH	9th June - 14th June 2020	(8 shows)
Koger Theater Postponed to Feb to March 2022	Columbia, SC	16th June - 18th June 2020 (New dates: 2nd November - 4th November 2020, later postponed)	(3 shows)
Tennessee Theatre Postponed to April 2023	Knoxville, TN	19th June - 21st June 2020	(5 shows)
Peace Center for the Performing Arts Postponed to April 2023	Greenville, SC	23rd June - 28th June 2020	(8 shows)
BJCC Concert Hall Postponed to February 2022	Birmingham, AL	5th November - 8th November 2020	(4 shows)
Times-Union Center Postponed to February 2022	Jacksonville, FL	10th November - 15th November 2020	(8 shows)
Broadway Center Postponed to April 2022	Fort Lauderdale, FL	17th November - 29th November 2020	(16 shows)
Granada Theatre Postponed to October 2022	Santa Barbara, CA	8th December - 9th December 2020	(2 shows)
Bank of America PAC Postponed to May 2023	Thousand Oaks, CA	10th December - 13th December 2020	(N/A)
Keller Auditorium Postponed to June 2022	Portland, OR	29th December - 3rd January 2021	(TBA)
Morrison Center Postponed to October 2021	Boise, ID	8th January - 10th January 2021	(5 shows)
Pikes Peak Center Postponed to November 2021	Colorado Springs, CO	31st January - 1st February 2021	(2 shows)
Orpheum Theatre Postponed to March 2022	Memphis, TN	9th February - 14th February 2021	(8 shows)
Saenger Theatre Postponed to December 2021	New Orleans, LA	3rd March - 7th March 2021	(8 shows)
Des Moines Civic Center Postponed to January 2023	Des Moines, IA	9th March - 14th March 2021	(8 shows)
The Kentucky Center Postponed to January 2022	Louisville, KY	16th March - 21st March 2021	(8 shows)
Ohio Theatre Postponed to January 2022	Columbus, OH	23rd March - 28th March 2021	(TBA)
Washington Pavilion Canceled	Sioux Falls, SD	31st March - 1st April 2021	(TBA)
Fox Cities PAC Postponed to March 2023	Appleton, WI	6th April - 11th April 2021	(TBA)
Dr. Phillips Center Postponed to spring 2022	Orlando, FL	20th April - 25th April 2021	(8 shows)
Straz Center Postponed December 2021	Tampa, FL	27th April - 2nd May 2021	(8 shows)
Orpheum Theater Postponed to fall 2021	Omaha, NE	18th May - 23rd May 2021 (Postponed)	(8 shows)
Orpheum Theatre Postponed	Minneapolis, MN	8th June - 13th June 2021 (Postponed to January 2022, then to October 2022)	(8 shows)
Bass Performance Hall Postponed to November 2021	Fort Worth, TX	15th June -20th June 2021 (Postponed)	(8 shows)

Most venues followed the pattern of evening shows Tuesday - Friday, and two shows on Saturday and Sunday. However in New Mexico, for example, the show performed a Tuesday evening and Wednesday matinee in Alto, NM, with Thursday - Sunday shows in Albuquerque. This indicated that the show wpuld be able to move venues overnight, install, and tech within 24 hours, despite most of the dates indicating at least one travel day between venues.

Cast[]

Note: This site uses the Day-Month-Year (DD/MM/YY) date format.

2019 - 2020 Cast
	January 2019 (Opening Cast)	Later Cast
Alonzo	Phillip Deceus until 08/12/2019		Adam Vanek from 10/12/2019
Asparagus / Bustopher Jones / "Peter"	Timothy Gulan
Bombalurina	Lexie Plath until 08/09/2019	Emma Hearn from 10/09/2019 until 19/01/2020		Elyse Collier Swiatek from 01/2020
Cassandra	Mariah Reives until 26/01/2020			Jordan Betscher from 27/01/2020
Coricopat	PJ DiGaetano until 08/09/2019	Maurice Dawkins from 10/09/2019
Demeter	Liz Schmitz until 25/08/2019	Alexa Racioppi from 03/09/2019
Grizabella	Keri René Fuller until 29/01/2020			Donna Vivino from 06/02/2020
Jellylorum	Kaitlyn Davidson until 15/12/2019		Annemarie Rosano from 17/12/2019
Jennyanydots	Emily Jeanne Phillips until 05/01/2020			Dani Goldstein from 10/01/2020
Mistoffelees	Tion Gaston until 08/09/2019; 22/10/2019 - 27/10/2019		PJ DiGaetano 10/09/2019 - 19/10/2019; from 29/10/2019
Mungojerrie	Tony D'Alelio until 10/2019	Justin W Geiss from 10/2019 until 05/01/2020	Tony D'Alelio 07/01/2020 - 23/01/2020	Benjamin Sears from 24/01/2020
Munkustrap	Dan Hoy until 19/01/2020			Zachary Berger from 01/2020
Old Deuteronomy / "Victor"	Brandon Michael Nase until 19/01/2020			Adam Richardson
Plato / Macavity	Tyler John Logan until 06/10/2019	Brayden Newby from 10/2019
Pouncival	Anthony Michael Zas until 07/2019	Justin W Geiss 07/2019 - 09/2019	Brett Michael Lockley from 09/2019
Rumpleteazer	Rose Iannaccone until 19/01/2020			Adriana Negron from 24/01/2020
Rum Tum Tugger/ "Bill Bailey"	McGee Maddox
Sillabub	Ahren Victory until 06/10/2019	Arianna Rosario 11/10/2019 - 22/12/2019	Nevada Riley Koenig from 23/12/2019
Skimbleshanks	Ethan Saviet until 06/10/2019	Giovanni DiGabriele from 09/10/2019
Tantomile	Halli Toland until 12/05/2019	Laura Katherine Kaufman 15/05/2019 - 08/12/2019	Melody Rose from 10/12/2019
Tumblebrutus	Devin Neilson until 06/10/2019	Cameron Edris from 09/10/2019
Victoria	Caitlin Bond
Swing	Zachary Berger until 01/2020			Alex Dorf from 01/2020
Swing / Co-Dance Captain	Nicholas Burrage until 10/2019	Austin Joseph Reynolds from 10/2019
Swing / Co-Dance Captain	Erin Chupinsky
Swing	Justin W Geiss until 07/2019; 09/2019 - 10/2019	Brett Michael Lockley 07/2019 - 09/2019	Devin Hatch from 10/2019
Swing	Laura Katherine Kaufman until 05/2019	Marina Lazzaretto 05/2019 - 01/12/2019	Loretta Williams from 03/12/2019
Swing	Charlotte O'Dowd
Chorus	Maria Failla until 18/01/2020			Tricia Tanguy from 19/01/2020
Chorus	Adam Richardson until 01/2020			Nathan Patrick Morgan from 01/2020
Chorus	Tricia Tanguy until 10/2019	Madison Mitchell from 10/2019
Chorus	Andy Zimmermann until 06/2019	Zachary Tallman from 06/2019
Chorus / Swing (stand-ins)	Nathan Patrick Morgan from 06/2019 (intermittently) Francesca Granell 09/2019 Joshua Burrage 09/2019		Nathan Patrick Morgan 01/2020 Tyler John Logan 07/01/2020 - 26/01/2020

As with the 2016 Broadway revival, the "Ensemble" versions of characters such as Old Deuteronomy, Rum Tum Tugger, and Gus had been given names. "Ensemble Tugger" was now "Bill Bailey" - however this is no relation to Bill Bailey the existing character. Although Grizabella was not given an ensemble name, she does take part in the opening number in this production.^[3] Electra, who made her first appearance in a US production in the Broadway revival, had been cut from this production, along with Carbuckety (although their costumes are displayed in the theatre lobby at certain stops). However, the twins Coricopat and Tantomile who were cut from the US Tour 5 Troika touring production, were present in this larger scale tour.

Of this cast, few had previous "Cats" credits in full scale productions (excluding regional productions). Swings Erin Chupinsky and Tricia Tanguy had performed in US Tour 5. Madison Mitchell and Nathan Patrick Morgan had also performed in US Tour 5, in addition to the Broadway Revival, along with Francesca Granell, Maria Failla, and Joshua Burrage. PJ DiGaetano and Maurice Dawkins had performed on Oasis of the Seas as Mistoffelees. Zachary Berger had performed in an Australian production.

Gallery[]

Non-Equity Tour: 2021 Onwards[]

The non-equity tour started on the 21st of September 2021 in Rochester, New York. It is the second non-equity production since the 5th national tour. It was referred to the 40th anniversary national tour in certain promotions.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, performers no longer left the stage to interact with the audience. For example, during the Overture, “green-eyes” has been replaced by lighting that resemble tiny cat eyes that appear throughout the stage. There was an extended dance break during Rum Tum Tugger, and Old Deuteronomy’s entrance is now from downstage left.

A few other changes were also made from the previous Equity tour. Rather than entering through a rope, Mistoffelees entered from upstage right, lightning a few lights as he comes towards the center before restoring them all. When Grizabella ascended to the Heaviside Layer, she walked on the platform to the left of the stage (audience view) instead of flying on a wire to the right.